Alumna at the Forefront of Rapidly Growing Localization Profession

Eva Klaudinyova (MAT ’01). (Photo by: Petra Cross)

July 25, 2012

<p>As a Fulbright fellow from the Slovak Republic, Eva Klaudinyova (MAT ’01) arrived in Monterey in 1999 to earn a degree in <a href="http://www.miis.edu/academics/programs/translation">German translation</a>. She returned back home with that and more, with a firm footing in the exciting new field of localization management. During her time at MIIS, Eva secured an internship with Medialocate, a locally-based translation agency, where she worked her way up to become a localization project manager. She kept working for Medialocate when she returned back to Slovakia, establishing a small European field office.</p>
<p>“Eventually I had to decide what direction I wanted my career to take—teaching at the university level in Slovakia, interpreting in Brussels or moving back to the United States and diving into the world of localization.” Silicon Valley turned out to have the greatest allure and it is there that Eva took on a leadership role. Eva is currently senior manager of globalization operations at VMWare Inc., where she manages the company’s entire localization operations team around the globe. Her team has more than 20 members in South America, Europe, and Asia—including a few MIIS graduates.</p>
<p>“The localization industry has probably tripled since I began my career and it will only continue to grow with increased globalization,” says Eva, who notes that the Institute, with its growing <a href="http://www.miis.edu/academics/programs/translationlocalization">Translation and Localization degree program</a> and close proximity to Silicon Valley, has an amazing opportunity to be a leader in the field of localization training and education. “Apart from acquiring a high degree of cultural sensitivity which I am applying in my job on a daily basis, I learned to appreciate the power and importance of networking during my time at MIIS,” she adds, adding that she often uses her MIIS network during the recruitment process to fill open localization positions around the world.</p>
<p>Eva is also a strong advocate for women trying to compete in the traditionally male-dominated tech world and is a co-founder and chairwoman of a global professional organization called Women in Localization. And if that was not enough, she continues to “be the solution,” volunteering in her free time with the Free the Children Foundation, helping with school building and community education in impoverished third-world countries around the world.</p>
<p>For this and other stories of MIIS alumni, see the online edition of our newsletter, <a href="http://blogs.miis.edu/communique">Communiqué</a>.</p>